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Disability and universal credit survey - we need your help

19 Jun 2012

The Children’s Society, Citizens Advice and Disability Rights UK are working together to support Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson to produce a review on the impact of the new 'Universal Credit' benefit on disabled children and adults. To do this we need your help. You can contribute to the review in the following ways:

The changes and the impact on disabled people

Universal Credit will replace all means tested benefits for working age people from 2013, including income based jobseeker’s allowance, Employment Support Allowance and tax credits. Some groups of disabled people will get more financial help under Universal Credit but some who claim for the first time will receive considerably less money under Universal Credit than they would get under the current system.

The final decisions have yet to be made and we want the government to change its plans, so that certain groups of disabled people are not disproportionately affected by these changes to the financial support for disabled people. We have calculated how much different groups of people will get under Universal Credit but we also need to know more about the additional costs disabled people can face in different situations because of their impairment or long term health condition, for example extra transport costs.

(Please note that unless your circumstances change your benefit will not be reduced but you will be able to give us valuable information about what the impact would be on new claimants).

Respond to the government’s consultation

The government is consulting on these changes. You can find out about the changes and financial impact (scenarios) they will have and then respond to the consultation. There has been much less focus on the changes in Universal credit than other changes facing disabled people but for some people there will be a much greater financial impact form this than any other change.

Based on the survey responses we receive, the review will be producing a report in the Autumn in advance of MPs and Peers debating the changes in Parliament - this report will illustrate the impact of these changes on people’s lives.